Author: StephanieBBlake

I love to help others focus on the one thing that's most important in life through my ministry, teaching and writing. As Vice President of Xtend Ministries International - www.xtendinternational.com, I travel extensively with my husband. I maintain two websites: www.onefocusministries.com and stretchmoney.wordpress.com. On the One Focus site, you can find free Bible studies, devotionals and information about my first book, "The Prayer Driven Life". My book, "Money: How to Be Rich Without It and How to Stretch It Using Ten Hints from the Past and the Technology of Today" was the inspiration for stretchmoney.wordpress.com. Money saving hints are contained throughout the book and this site was created to continue to give helpful hints on stretching money or having the proper view toward money.
Word Focus

Living in the Light: Looking Up and Lighting the Way for Others to Follow: Part 2

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This Bible study deals with Christians taking seriously Jesus’ command to be the light of the world. Part one gave some general physical and spiritual principles of light. This last part completes the description of some leadership qualities that was endowed to believers by the Light Himself. 

Leaders are First Followers: They Must See Before They Can Guide

Every one of us was spiritually blind until our eyes were opened and we invited the Light of the world to take control. No one can be led to light by someone who does not see. Jesus cautioned against the blind leading the blind.

The essential prerequisite for a Christian leader is that he follows the Light. He has a foundational relationship with Jesus, the origin of light. Since he follows the Light himself, he can lead others to follow the light.

Just as Jesus empowers His followers with His light, He does so not only for our benefit, but for others. Light is meant to be shared. We are not the light with a capital “L,” but a reflection of the Light. The light of life living within Christians should be evident to others. Just like John the Baptist, we should bear witness of the light.

Someone once told me she believed that a good man she is acquainted with who attends church regularly but denies the existence of Christ was a secret Christian. I heartily disagree. If, as Jesus says, those who believe in Him are the light of the world, there is no such thing as a secret Christian. A Christian is light only because he has looked to the source of light, the Light of the World. Light does not belong under a bushel. It is meant to be on a lampstand. As such, it can penetrate the darkness and help others see their way.

See Psalm 27:1, Psalm 36:9, Matthew 15:14-16, John 1:8, John 8:12.

Leaders Lead Others Where They Have Been

Spiritual birth is the beginning of an eternal journey. Good leaders do not stagnate. They keep moving. Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan, is a narrative about that journey. The best leaders lead because they have already gone down the road they are encouraging others to travel. They are constantly learning, looking to the Light for guidance. As our example, even Jesus learned obedience.

As Jesus did, leaders lead by example. That is understood in the secular world as well. Albert Schweitzer said, “Example is not the main thing in influencing others.  It is the only thing.”Military leaders who generate the most respect and loyalty are those who go with their troops into battle. Many politicians have campaigned on the basis of their identity with the common people. Most successful business leaders achieved their success through hard work in their field. Having “been there, done that,” leaders can give guidance.

Leaders of light do not lead by intimidation but by example. They take time to develop their own relationship with Christ. They know their limitations. They ask Christ to expose any darkness in their life that can adversely affect their influence. They are willing to be conformed to the character of Christ. They agree with Paul that to shine as light in the world, they must become blameless and harmless. General H. Norman Schwarzkopf said, “Leadership is a combination of strategy and character. If you must be without one, be without the strategy.”

See Romans 8:29, Philippians 2:14-15, Hebrews 5:8

Leaders Share Only the Truth

Just as Jesus brings revelation of things as they really are and dispels the fear of the dark, Christian disciples always point those they are trying to lead to the light of Truth. They recognize the natural tendency to fear what one does not understand. Leaders will spend time getting their facts straight.

Unlike many politicians who will only want to say what is popular, Christian leaders must tell the truth. What they teach will be truth even if it is hard for others to hear. That means that a Christian leader is a student of the Word. They don’t fake their knowledge because they have asked God for wisdom in their leadership.

See Psalm 43:3, Psalm 119:105, James 1:5

Leaders are Diligent Workers

The role of leadership naturally means that you will not do all the tasks yourself. No one thinks a micromanager is a good leader. Although the leader may be able to do everything required to get the job done, he does not do it all. His strength lies in being able to recognize the capabilities of those he is leading. However, that does not mean the leader stands idly by and watches others do all the work. The difference is the assignment load. A good Christian leader will take full responsibility for providing the guidance that his team needs to do the work. He will make good use of his time and just like a traffic light, know when to signal others to go, wait, or stop awhile.

The remarkable example that Jesus gave of leadership was in his instruction for his followers to take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matthew 11:29). Life is hard work in itself, but those who look to the Light for leadership will find that Jesus shares their burden. Gentle is sometimes translated meek. Meekness is often associated with being feeble or weak, but that is not the case at all. The best definition for meekness is strength under control. The great Lion of Judah is also the sacrificial Lamb of God. Jesus inspires confidence because he embodies strength and decisiveness as well as a gentle caring for those he leads.

See 1 Thessalonians 5:5-6,8

Leaders will Care About Their Team

This can be an unusual leadership quality in the secular world. Business leaders can be so results oriented that many times people’s lives are trampled in the process. These are not good leaders, to be sure, but how many people have been injured by someone else’s climb to the top?

Concern for others is a trait of Christian leadership. Just as it is easier to travel a road that is well lit rather than one that is dark, Christian leaders care about providing the light that is needed to get the job done. Whatever is needed for others to be able to fulfill their calling in life, a good Christian leader will find time to provide. Goodness and compassion are hallmark traits of a leader worth following.

See Ephesians 5:8-10

Christian Leaders Work Within the Context of the Body of Christ, the Church

Jesus appeals to our logic by stating that no one lights a lamp, hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. A lamp is meant to be placed on a stand to provide illumination. Jesus refers to churches as lampstands. The church is being observed. When Jesus is not the leader, the head of the church, the light of the church is being hidden. The church, the Body of Christ, is designed to give off light so that others may see Christ and glorify God.

See Isaiah 2:5, Luke 8:16, Revelation 1:20

If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another. . . (1 John 1:7).

Leaders Give Credit Where Credit is Due

Good leaders recognize that nothing would be accomplished without the team that works under them. They will recognize and honor those who do the work. They are quick to praise when a job is well done. The Apostle Paul had a prayer of thanksgiving for the recipients of his letters (in every case but one). Committed believers would love to finish the assignment God gives them, whatever that is, and hear him say, “Well done.”

Christians must recognize where the source of all ability comes from. Whatever is accomplished in the life of a believer is the work of the Holy Spirit. The light of the believer is not equal to the Light of the World. It is reflected light. Our light is bestowed upon us so that God’s light can shine through us and give him glory. We are not the sun, but we can walk in the sunlight. The Christian leader walks in the light of Christ and lights the way for others to follow.

See Matthew 5:14-16, 2 Corinthians 4:4

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).

For further study and discussion

Examine the scriptures given after each section and discuss the influence of light.

© Stephanie B. Blake

Download Living in the Light Part 2

Word Focus

One Day At A Time

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Therefore do not be anxious for tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself.  Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34 NAS).

One of my dearest friends died in 2006.  She learned of her brain tumor in June 2005 and died the following March. Of the many things that I learned from Carolyn, the most lasting was her strength of faith in the face of death.  When she heard the diagnosis, she knew that God would soon be calling her home.  Instead of “why me?” her question was “why not me?”

During her last months, Carolyn taught me a lot about living one day at a time. Refusing to be sad because she would be unable to see her grandchildren grow up, she decided to enjoy every minute she had left with her beloved family. Primary in Carolyn’s heart and mind was that she would spend her last days praising God and letting others know that no matter what the circumstances, “He is faithful.” Her last solo in church was His Anchor Holds. Even though she did not see those grandchildren reach adulthood, her legacy of faith will always be with them.

The tumor progressively affected Carolyn’s ability to communicate.  Her words were jumbled and unintelligible to many. Since we were “soul mates,” during the times that we were able to visit, she was relaxed because she knew that I could complete her sentences for her.

I asked Carolyn’s permission to tell her story as I traveled and taught. With tears in her eyes, she said she would be honored if I told others how her trust in God’s faithfulness never wavered.  I truly miss my friend, but her example in how to treat each moment as precious is indelibly printed on my heart.

I believe that Carolyn would have agreed with the 19th century evangelist, Dwight L. Moody, who said, “Someday you will read in the papers that D.L. Moody, of East Northfield, is dead.  Don’t you believe a word of it! At that moment I shall be more alive than I am now, I shall have gone up higher, that is all; out of this old clay tenement into a house that is immortal-a body that death cannot touch; that sin cannot taint; a body fashioned like unto His glorious body. I was born in the flesh in 1837. I was born of the Spirit in 1856.  That which is born of the flesh may die. That which is born of the Spirit will live forever.”

What does the Bible say about how we spend our time here on earth?  Throughout Scripture, it is clear that God intended for us to focus on today.  His word gives us instruction on how we can learn from the past and look to the future, but we must live in the now.

Paul said, “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” (Ephesians 5:15-17 NAS emphasis mine).

LEARN FROM THE PAST

. . . one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus (Philippians 3:13b-14).

Many have become Christians because of the witness of a believer. That testimony cannot be denied.  Sharing what your life was like before you met Christ, how you came to trust in Him and the difference He has made in your life can often make someone understand his own need for a relationship with Him.

The apostle Paul certainly had not forgotten what he was like before he met Christ. He often gave testimony of how he persecuted the Christians. However, God’s forgiveness was so real to him that his focus was on walking daily with Him and fulfilling His calling in his life.  Paul learned from his past.  Once he understood that Jesus was truly the prophesied Messiah, he turned from his old life and never looked back.

Those who refuse to learn lessons from their past often spend time in resentment (of what was done to them) or regret (of what they have done to others or what they neglected to do).  Growth comes in obtaining forgiveness from God, learning not to repeat the sins and mistakes of the past, and living each day with a focus on how to fulfill God’s purpose in your life.

Questions for reflection:

  • How often have you wasted today in regrets of yesterday or bitterness toward someone? The remedy is given in Philippians 4:8-9.  If your mind dwells on bad things of the past, good things of the present may be crowded out.
  • Do you realize you are where you are today because God put you there?  In Paul’s address to the Athenians, he said that God has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so that they should seek the Lord (Acts 17:26-27a). How should that affect your attitude toward your life, your neighbors?
  • Some cannot leave the past behind because those were “the good old days.”  Today never seems to measure up to the past.  What is the error of that thinking?
  • Do you spend time complaining because of where you live . . . you have not become “successful”. . . you do not have the wealth you desire. . . your talents are going unseen?  If so, what do you need to change? Notice that Paul’s focus, “one thing I do,” was fulfilling the call of God on his life.
  • What are some lessons you have learned from your past?  Paul did not repeat the sinful acts of his past.  Have you made the same determination?
  • Can you help prevent someone else from making the same mistakes that you made?  Do you invest your time in mentoring young believers?

LOOK TO THE FUTURE 

The global financial crisis of 2008-2009 devastated many lives. Some lost their entire life’s savings: not only those who made bad judgments and overspent but also those who saved, invested, and planned so that they would not be a burden on their families during their retirement years. They planned but the unexpected happened. They were not even guilty of greediness as in the case of the parable of the rich man in Luke 12:16-21.  The Lord concluded His teaching on this parable by telling His disciples, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34). You may lose earthly treasures, but if you have given your heart to Christ, you cannot lose the treasure of your eternal relationship with Him.

The Bible does not tell us that we should never plan.  God’s word tells us that our plans should be directed by Him and that when the unforeseen comes, continue to trust in Him, His promises and His provision.

Nehemiah, an incredible example in this area, planned according to his prayers.  Having learned of the distress of his fellow Jews and the ruined condition of Jerusalem, Nehemiah’s heart was broken. He asked God to allow him to be part of the solution, planned what he would do when God granted his request and then waited on God’s timing.  Read his story and observe how he prayed, planned and trusted God.

Examine the following scriptures about God’s involvement in our plans.

  • Proverbs 16:9 and Proverbs 3:5-6 – How much better would your life be if your plans started with God’s plans for you?
  • Proverbs 21:5 – Contrast steadfastness, faithfulness and diligence with hastiness, impulsiveness and being unprepared.
  • Isaiah 30:1 – What does God say about those who plan without consulting Him?
  • Matthew 25:1-13.  Compare the wise and the foolish virgins in light of their planning or lack thereof.
  • Acts 16:6-10, Romans 1:13, 2 Corinthians 1:17 – Notice that even though Paul made plans for ministry, God often had something better. 

The man or woman of God will work hard, be diligent, be prepared and plan for the future, but will stand ready to do God’s bidding even when it is different than you initially thought He wanted you to do.

There are two days in every week about which we should not worry, two days which should be kept free from fear and apprehension.

One of the two days is YESTERDAY, with its mistakes and cares, its faults and blunders, its aches and pains. Yesterday has passed forever beyond our control.  All the money in the world cannot bring back yesterday. We cannot undo a single act we performed. We cannot erase a single word we said.  Yesterday is gone.

The other day we should not worry about is TOMORROW, with its possible adversities, its burden, its large promise and poor performance.  Tomorrow is also beyond our immediate control. Tomorrow’s sun will rise, either in splendor or behind a mask of clouds-but it will rise.  Until it does, we have no stake in tomorrow, for it is yet unborn.

This leaves only one day –TODAY-anyone can fight the battles of just one day. It is only when you and I add the burdens of those two awful eternities-yesterday and tomorrow-that we break down.

It is not the experience of today that drives us mad-it is remorse or bitterness for something which happened yesterday and the dread of what tomorrow may bring.

Let us, therefore, live but one day at a time. –

Source unknown

LIVE IN THE NOW 

. . . Behold, now the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2).

There is always the possibility that someone reading this has not trusted the Lord Jesus Christ. If that is you, know that you are not reading this by mistake.  Jesus Christ is God.  He chose to leave Heaven, live a perfect, sinless life here on earth and die a sacrificial death so you could have a relationship with Him and live forever with Him.  Trust Him now.  Don’t put that decision off. You are not promised tomorrow.

Tomorrow may be too late.

Reflect on those you have known who did not have any warning about their impending death, such as my friend Carolyn did.  Anything could happen to any of us at any time.  In the parable of the rich man, God said to him, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?” (Luke 12:20).

Today is the day of salvation.  If you need to make your life right with God, do it today. If He has been asking you to spend more time with Him, start today. If He prompts you today to talk to someone about His offer of grace, don’t put it off. If He impresses you to do something for someone, do it today.

Using the following scriptures, examine how “living in the now” would change your life.

Psalm 50:15 – Do you try to handle your “day of trouble” by yourself, or do you turn to God for help?

  • Psalm 71:15, Psalm 96:2 – Are you aware that today might be the last day that you have to tell someone about God’s working in your life?
  • Psalm 90:12, Psalm 103:15 – Your days “are numbered.”  How do you deal with that reality?
  • Psalm 118:24 – What changes would you need to make in order to spend your day rejoicing?
  • Psalm 139:16 – What difference does it make to you that God planned your life long before you were born? See also Jeremiah 29:11.
  • Proverbs 23:17 – Does envy occupy your thoughts? What is the remedy?
  • Proverbs 24:10 – Adversity can be a testing ground for the believer.  What does this verse and James 1:2-5 have in common?
  • Proverbs 27:1 – Does the uncertainty of the future motivate you to be as productive today as you can be?
  • Habakkuk 2:4 – This verse is repeated three times in the New Testament (Romans 1:17, Galatians 3:11, Hebrews 10:38). How should “living by faith” make a difference in your daily life?
  • Matthew 6:11 – Reflect on Jesus’ instruction to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.”
  • Matthew 24:42 – Jesus is coming back.  What do you want to be doing when He does?
  • 2 Corinthians 4:16 – What do you think is the significance of your “inner man . . . being renewed day by day?”
  • James 4:13-17 – In the context of reminding us that our plans are determined by the Lord’s will, James concludes this section with Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin. Since time is short and tomorrow is uncertain, the Lord expects us to do acts of mercy today.

“Waste your money and you’re only out of money, but waste your time and you’ve lost part of your life.” Michael LeBoueuf, Working Smart: How to Accomplish More in Half the Time

Benjamin Franklin said, “Work while it is called today, for you know not how much you may be hindered tomorrow.  One today is worth two tomorrows; never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today.”

Learn from the Past, Look to the Future, Live in the Now 

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

© Stephanie B. Blake

 Download One Day at a Time

Word Focus

Seven Parenting Hints from the Word of God

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 Children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward (Psalm 127:3)

“There are no illegitimate children – only illegitimate parents” (Leon R. Yankwich, judicial opinion, 1928). Not every child is planned by his parents, but every soul is planned by God. Parenting is perhaps the hardest, but most rewarding job there is. There is no greater calling.

Unfortunately, just as in marriage, much of parenting is on-the-job training. Some of us had good examples of parenting modeled before us. Some of us had terrible models. Only God can give us the guidelines needed for raising children that will honor Him.

Raising children is a bit like growing an orchid. One expert said that growing an orchid requires experience, education and to be preventive in respect to problems. In raising children, add a great deal of nurturing, time and love, and you have a start in the process.

Sow a thought, reap an act;

Sow an act, reap a habit;

Sow a habit, reap a character (Ralph Waldo Emerson).

A Christian has an advantage in that God’s word is a living tool to help cultivate the life that has been entrusted to a parent for a few years.

1.  The godly parent must tell his children of God’s work in his life.

God chose Abraham so that he would direct his children and their families to keep His way and do what is right and just.  Abraham’s blessings were not for him alone, but for future generations.  God expected him to guide his family, especially his children, in His ways.

God told Moses He performed the miraculous signs in Egypt so Moses would be able to tell the wonderful stories to his children and grandchildren that would prove that He is the Lord.

What children see, they copy. The best compliment or most searing criticism could be, “Your child acts just like you do.”

Read and discuss Genesis 18:19 and Exodus 10:2.

2. The godly parent must teach his children the Word of God

The Bible is life’s operating manual: a parenting guidebook. Humans are tri-dimensional: physical, mental, spiritual. Some parents make sure their children are nourished physically, send them to school to get education, but leave the spiritual until they can make the decision for themselves. God makes it clear He expects parents to be in charge of their spiritual development.

The Jewish people were very serious about this instruction from the Lord. Christians should be as well. God told His chosen people to devote themselves to His words: teach them to their children, talk about them at home, on a trip, going to bed at night and rising in the morning, in other words, at all times.

From his childhood, Timothy was taught the scriptures by his mother and grandmother. Paul instructed him to remain true to those things he had been taught. Paul reminded him that God’s word teaches us what is true, helps us recognize what is displeasing to Him, and how to straighten out things that are wrong. God’s word equips us for all He wants us to do.

Read and discuss Deuteronomy 11:18-19, Proverbs 22:6, 2 Timothy 1:5, 3:14-17.

3. The godly parent knows how to lovingly guide his child

No one likes being constantly criticized, scolded and ridiculed. God tells parents (especially fathers) not to provoke or discourage their children. That can cause them to quit trying. Rather, discipline them with the discipline of the Lord.

You may have had godly parents. You may have had very bad parents. Don’t duplicate the bad habits of ungodly parents. You can stop the pattern.

It is the responsibility of the child to learn to be obedient. It is a parent’s responsibility to love them enough to do what is necessary to mold their character into God-honoring humans.

Listen to your child. Quality time comes out of quantity time. You cannot set 10 minutes aside and say, “OK, now we are going to have quality time.”

A godly parent has the most input into the lives of their children through their actions and their words. If your words do not match your actions, your children will know the difference.

Read and discuss Ephesians 6:1-4, Colossians 3:20-21

4. The godly parent comforts his children

God, the Holy Spirit, is called the Comforter. He promises to comfort us as a child is comforted by its mother.

Life is tough. Children need someone to lean on, to count on. Children need to learn how to handle difficulties while at home. It prepares them to handle the challenges of the outside world.

Paul told the Thessalonians that he and his friends dealt with them as a father deals with his children: encouraging, comforting and urging them to live lives worthy of God.

Although you should be the primary teacher in your child’s life, many others are also training him: teachers, neighbors, people at church. Some reinforce your training. Some do not. It is easy for a child to be confused. Lead by example and your child will see the difference. If you tell your child not to lie, but you lie, he will not trust you nor will you be able to adequately comfort him when he encounters trials in his life.  It is important that you let your child know that you also need God and His comfort – that you are a sinner and you need His guidance.

Accept your child for who he is. His personality may be the opposite of yours. God gave your child his personality, his temperament. Your job is to help him build his character. You will be unable to comfort your child unless he knows you respect him.

A child who knows he is loved and accepted will be able to take the discipline necessary to mold his character.  Reinforcing positive behavior will often prevent the need for discipline. If he makes his bed (even if it is not as you would have done), take note of it and don’t remake the bed.  If he is careful to watch after a sibling, say something about it.  Praise goes a long way with a child.

How many of us felt we could not measure up to the standards set by our parents – that we were never good enough at music, art, sports?  Are there negative comments that keep popping up in your mind?  That is preventable in your relationship with your children.  It is not necessary to say anything untrue, but every positive action can prompt a compliment from you. “I really enjoyed hearing you practice the piano,” is better than “You played that piece perfectly.”

Read and discuss Proverbs 15:1, Isaiah 66:13,  Colossians 4:6, 1 Thessalonians 2:11

5. The godly parent provides for his children

Parents are instructed to provide for their families, especially their children. This is such a strong teaching in God’s word that those who refuse to provide for their own are said to have denied the faith and are worse than unbelievers.

Read and discuss Matthew 7:9-10, 2 Corinthians 12:14, 1 Timothy 5:8

6. The godly parent is in charge

Is being in charge a scary thing for you? If so, are there some things that you need to change before you can become a good example to your child?

Don’t leave your child guessing what you believe or what your values are. Joshua took his place in his family seriously and declared that he and his whole family would serve the Lord.

Foundation for a strong family is to put God first. You are in charge of the development of your child for a short time. The best gift you can give them is the knowledge that God is in control.

Your children will never know what your values are if you are not around. A qualification of those in leadership in the church is that he must manage his own family well with children who respect and obey him.

Your child wants you to be in charge. Surveys of children from divorced families revealed that children given an opportunity to choose their parent most often chose the parent who is in charge. That parent made the child feel safe and secure.

Read and discuss Joshua 24:15 and 1 Timothy 3:4-5

7. The godly parent must correct his child

Discipline has as its root disciple. It is not a negative word (like punishment). Discipline involves firm, reliable and kind guidelines. Your child should know what is expected of him.

Discipline is most effective when begun early. If both parents are involved in raising the child, the discipline should be agreed upon.  It is confusing and damaging to a child for one parent to say one thing and the other something else.

If you don’t discipline your child, who will? Discipline comes from a Latin word meaning to teach.  Paul was able to tell others to follow him as he followed Christ.  That is the primary duty of a Christian parent.  Model the teaching you have learned from God.

We are born in sin and must learn what is right. Observe a two year old who has never had any instruction. Left to himself, no one wants to be around him.

Remembering that God disciplines each of His children, decide to discipline your own the same way God disciplines you. As a child of God, we still need discipline.

Read and discuss Proverbs 3:11-12, 13:24, 23:13, 29:17, Hebrews 12:7-11

As Christians, we are children of God. God, the Father, is the best model of a parent. What He does for us, we should do for our own children. If you are a true Christian disciple, your children will know it. Your example will prepare them for whatever God has planned for them.

Each generation can make known Your faithfulness to the next (Isaiah 38:19).

© Stephanie B. Blake

Download 7 Parenting Hints from the Word of God

 

Word Focus

The Child Who Chose to Be Born

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Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:10-11).

Occasionally an angry child will tell his parents, “I did not ask to be born!”  And in every instance but one, that statement is true. Only one child in all of history chose to be born.  His name is Jesus.

How could it be possible for a child to choose to be born?  Only God, who declares the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10) could do such a thing.  Only the Creator could choose to manifest Himself in the same form He created. For he knows how we are formed (Psalm 103:14a NIV).

The Son of God stated many times that His Father sent Him; however, He chose to be sent. God has revealed Himself to us as a triune God, a Godhead of three totally unified in one Divine Person. He is a relationship within Himself. God refers to Himself both in the singular and the plural.

  • Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is One! (Deuteronomy 6:4).
  • Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. . . So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created them; male and female He created them (Genesis 1:26, 27).
  • And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). See also Matthew 28:19-20.

Jesus did not become the Son of God at His incarnation. In His divinity as the Logos, the Son of God, He chose to be born as the Son of Man.  The Father, Son and Holy Spirit decided that in Him [would dwell] all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Colossians 2:9). As the image of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15), Jesus would reveal the everlasting love of God in an undeniable tangible form – as the Son of Man. God the Father sent the Son, God the Son chose to come, God the Holy Spirit made it happen. That is why Isaiah could describe the entire Godhead as he prophesied the coming of the Christ Child, For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). “In the Hebrew text there is no comma between “wonderful and “counselor.” This means that there are really four, not five, titles given to the child who is to be born.” [1] The name (singular) of the child represents the entire Godhead.

Until the coming of Jesus, God spoke through various ways . . . to the fathers by the prophets, but now in last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person (Hebrews 1:1-3).

No one has seen God at any time (John 1:18a, 1 John 4:12a). John finishes the first statement with the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him (John 1:18b) and the second is in the context of God loving us and us loving one another because He abides in us. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us (1 John 4:12b). We see God through Jesus, who demonstrated His love and asked us to do the same (John 15:12-13).

Logos, Son of God, sent into the world

In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made . . . And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:1-3, 14).

Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God which He promised before through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:1-4).

. . . when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me. . . Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come – in the volume of the book it is written of Me – to do Your will, O God’” (Hebrews 10:5, 7).

The Humble Jesus Received God’s glory

Rich with prophesies about the coming of the Lord Jesus, Isaiah is often quoted by the writers of the New Testament. These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him (John 12:41).  Through Isaiah, God said, I am the Lord, that is My name; and My glory I will not give to another (42:8).  (See Isaiah 44:6-7 and Revelation 1:4-8 for one example of Isaiah’s prophesy about Jesus).

Jesus has always been and will always be God. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).  As man, He did not seek glory apart from the Godhead. And I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges (John 8:50). Satan tried to get Him to do that very thing in His temptation experience.

He did not seek his own glory distinct from his Father’s, nor had any separate interest of his own. For men to search their own glory is not glory indeed (Prov. 25:27), but rather their shame to be so much out in their aim. This comes in here as a reason why Christ made so light of their reproaches: “You do dishonour me, but cannot disturb me, shall not disquiet me, for I seek not my own glory.’’ Note, Those who are dead to men’s praise can safely bear their contempt.[2]

But Jesus would not entrust himself to them, for he knew all men (John 2:24 NIV).

Jesus, however, did receive and accept glory as part of the Godhead.

  • For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. . . And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:11, 13-14).
  • When Jesus heard that, He said, “This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it” (John 11:4).
  • “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son that Your Son also may glorify You . . .Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world” (John 17:1, 24).
  • Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).
  • For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (2 Peter 1:17).
  • “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You” . . . “Let all the angels of God worship Him”. . . But to the Son, He says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever” . . . (Hebrews 1:5, 6, 8).  Read the entire chapter for amplification.
  • Saying with a loud voice: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: “Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!” (Revelation 5:12-13).

The uniqueness of Christianity is the Person, Jesus Christ, and the distinctiveness of Christ is the fact that He is the God-man. In other words, He is a divine-human Being, something unique in time and eternity. It is also a concept very difficult to understand, for we have no basis for comparison with another God-man in history nor do we get any help from our experience. Yet this is not a dogma imposed on us simply to receive without question; it is a conclusion which grows out of the evidence in the Bible. Many facts point to the conclusion that Jesus Christ is God; many others lead to the conclusion that He is truly human; at the same time we see only one Person moving across the pages of the gospels. This union of undiminished deity and perfect humanity forever in one Person is called the doctrine of the hypostatic union (that is, the union of two hypostases or natures), and this is the uniqueness of Jesus Christ.[3]

When His work was completed, He asked His Father to restore His pre-incarnate glory: “I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was” (John 17:4-5).

Jesus’ Choices

Have you ever thought it strange that when the Son of God became the Son of Man angels appeared to shepherds instead of priests – that a widow instead of a princess was privileged to see the Infant in the temple – that a virtually unknown man recognized the baby as the promised Messiah instead of a government official?

If you were in charge of planning the announcement of the Son of God, who would you have notified? Would you have chosen a woman of royalty to give birth to Him or would you have chosen Mary? Would you have prepared a man of political standing and reputation to go before Him and announce the beginning of His ministry or would you have chosen John the Baptist?  Would you have chosen a man of substantial wealth and influence to raise Him as his foster child or would you have chosen Joseph? Would you have prepared a palace for His birth or a manger?

The revelation of His imminent coming was to male and female, young and old, peasants and princes, Jew and Gentile, rich and poor.  Of the men, there were wise men, a priest, shepherds, Joseph and Simeon.  Of the women, there was a virgin, a widow, a married woman who was barren until God miraculously gave her a child.

God used His creation, a star and angels, as well as dreams and prophecies to announce the coming of new covenant through His Son to people of all stations.  There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise (Galatians 3:28-29).

Jesus chose to tell people He was coming 

There are hundreds of Old Testament prophecies surrounding Jesus, many of which had to do with the unusual circumstances of His birth. The New Testament notes their fulfillment. Just a few of them are:

  • He would come as the Son of God (Psalm 2:7, Luke 1:32, 35).
  • He would come as the seed of woman (Genesis 3:15, Galatians 4:4).
  • He would come as the seed of Abraham (Genesis 12:3, 17:7, 22:18, Acts 3:25, Galatians 3:17).
  • He would come as the seed of Isaac (Genesis 17:19, Matthew 1:2).
  • He would come as the seed of Jacob (Numbers 24:17, Luke 3:34).
  • He would descend from the tribe of Judah (Genesis 49:10, Luke 3:33).
  • He would come as the seed of David (Isaiah 9:7, Jeremiah 23:5, Matthew 1:6, Romans 1:3).
  • He would be called Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:22-23).
  • Great persons coming to adore Him (Psalm 72:10, Matthew 2:1-11).

Jesus chose Gabriel to announce His coming

Jesus sent Gabriel to Zacharias. And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings . . . your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John” (Luke 1:19, 13). Gabriel told Mary of Elizabeth’s pregnancy and when Mary visited her, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and the babe leaped in [her] womb for joy (Luke 1:44). At John’s circumcision, on the 8th day after John’s birth, both Zacharias and Elizabeth surprised others by naming him John.

Jesus sent Gabriel to Mary. Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin . . . whose name was Mary . . . behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son and shall call His name Jesus  (Luke 1:26-27, 31). And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb (Luke 2:21).

This was not the first time Gabriel appeared with an announcement about the coming of the Messiah.  Both Zacharias and Mary would recognize Gabriel’s name as the messenger sent from God to Daniel to explain a vision he had seen (Daniel 8:16, 9:21).  In the explanation, God promised the coming of the promised Messiah (Daniel 9:24-27). On these two occasions, hundreds of years apart, God’s special angel messenger carried glad tidings. 

Jesus chose John the Baptist to be His forerunner

The Old Testament, filled with prophets announcing the coming of the Messiah, ended with Malachi predicting the return of Elijah (Malachi 4:5). The intervening four hundred years placed John the Baptist at the precise point in time in which Jesus planned for him to announce His imminent arrival. Jesus verifies John the Baptist was the prophet who prepared the way for Him (Malachi 3:1 Matthew 11:10) and was the Elijah to come (Malachi 4:5, Matthew 17:10-13). John’s miraculous birth and his mission were announced to his parents by the angel Gabriel (Luke 1:11-19). 

Jesus chose His mother and foster father

Jesus chose His ancestry, linking His birth with His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and David. His legal right to the throne of David through Joseph’s lineage is recorded in Matthew 1:1-17.  There are some unexpected entries in that genealogy, Gentiles and women: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and one who had been the wife of Uriah.

It was no mistake that Mary was engaged to Joseph, a carpenter and humble follower of God.  Matthew includes Joseph’s perspective on the arrival of the Christ Child.  God led him in successive dreams to do His will, protecting Mary and the Child (Matthew 1:20, 2:13, 19, 22).  His obedience brought about the fulfillment of many of the prophecies concerning Jesus (Matthew 1:21, 25, 2:14-15, 21-23).

His foster father taught the young Lord the craft of carpentry. Together, they worked with timber to construct useful objects. The One who used His human hands to learn carpentry was the same One who created the world and placed the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. The One who made tables with Joseph was the One who knelt around a table with His disciples at the Last Supper. The One who worked with wood as a young Man carried His own wooden cross to Calvary.  The One who formed furniture from felled trees knew that He would one day give His own life upon a tree. As he hammered nails into wood as He worked, did He think of the day when huge nails would pierce His hands and rip His flesh as He hung upon the cross?

Jesus chose His mother carefully. Mary’s response to the surprising news that she would bear the Christ Child was “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38). As her young mind was filled with the word of the Lord, she quotes Scripture throughout her Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55). Luke gives the account from Mary’s view and traces Jesus’ genealogy back to the beginning of the human race.

Jesus had prepared this girl to care for His needs as a child, nurture Him as a young Man and suffer with Him as He accomplished His purpose. He knew she had what it took to trust her firstborn Child as her Savior. He knew she would call upon God for the strength to bear the trials ahead. Then Simeon blessed them, and he said to Mary, the baby’s mother, “This child is destined to cause many in Israel to fall, but he will be a joy to many others. He has been sent as a sign from God, but many will oppose him. As a result, the deepest thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your very soul.” (Luke 2:34-35 NLT).

Jesus chose the time of His birth 

But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons (Galatians 4:4).

Although the four hundred years between the Old and New Testaments are often called the “silent centuries,” God was at work during that time to prepare the world for the coming of Jesus.

The Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Jewish scriptures, did not exist until after the conquest of Alexander the great and the spread of the Greek language sometime between 300-200 BC. Many early Christians and New Testament writers depended heavily upon this translation as the Hebrew language was no longer used as widely as it had been.

The development of the Sanhedrin happened during this period.

The Sanhedrin, the supreme court of the Jewish nation, comprising 71 members is first mentioned’ in a letter written in 198 B.C. by Antiochus III of Syria to the chief Jewish representatives. Until the attack made by Antiochus IV on the Jewish nation and religion, the Sanhedrin, under the presidency of the high priest. regulated the internal affairs of the Jews. The authority of the Sanhedrin tended to diminish under the autocratio Hasmoneans; but after the Roman conquest of Palestine it enjoyed considerable freedom in the internal concerns of the Jewish people, not only in Palestine, but even (as the circumstances of Paul’s visit to Damascus show) to some extent in other provinces. We gather from John 18:31 that, while the Sanhedrin could sentence an accused person to death, this sentence could not be executed without the consent of the Roman governor. It was for this reason that the Lord Jesus, having been sentenced to death on a charge of blasphemy (because He confessed Himself to be the Messiah), was then brought before Pilate. Pilate, as the Sanhedrin knew, would not be interested in a charge of blasphemy, and so it was on a charge of seditious activity that our Lord was arraigned before the Roman judge.

Politically and religiously alike, the period between the Testaments is far from representing a standstill, but shows a steady moving forward to the accomplishment of God’s purpose in the redemption wrought out by His Son.[4]

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men – the testimony given in its proper time (1 Timothy 2:5-6). 

Jesus chose the place and circumstance of His birth

Jesus chose Bethlehem as His birthplace and informed the Old Testament prophet Micah (Micah 5:2, Luke 2:4-6).

In 31 B.C. the civil wars which had raged in the Roman world for many years came to an end with the sea-victory won at Actium by Octavian, the adopted son of Julius Caesar, over his rival Antony and Queen Cleopatra, the last ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty. With this victory Octavian had the whole Roman world at his feet, and he ruled it until A.D. 14 as first Roman Emperor, under the name Augustus (which means something like ‘His Majesty’).

And so it came to pass that when the fulness of the time came and God sent forth His Son, that Son “was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king” (Matt. 2:1), Joseph and Mary having travelled to that place because “there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be enrolled” (Luke 2:1).[5]

As Jesus came to identify with all men, He chose a feeding trough – a manger – to lay His newborn head. He knew there would be no room in the inn. During His years of ministry, He said, “The foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head” (Matthew 8:20).  Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb.

Have you ever had the chance to share the gospel with those who are homeless?  In His birth, His lifetime and His death, Jesus chose to identify with them. 

Jesus chose to announce His imminent arrival to a chosen few 

Although prophesies abounded about the birth of the Christ Child, at the point in time when it actually happened, there was a special revelation to a privileged few. The message and manner in which they were notified were varied but all miraculous. Matthew and Luke tell us that Jesus prepared

  • Zacharias and Elizabeth by sending John the Baptist as their miracle child.
  • Mary by purifying her heart and sending His special messenger Gabriel to let her know she had been chosen to bear the Christ Child.
  • Joseph by sending angels to appear to him in his dreams.
  • shepherds by sending an angel and a heavenly host.
  • Simeon in the years he waited for the Consolation of Israel with the promise from the Holy Spirit that he would not die until he had seen the Lord’s Christ.
  • Anna by speaking to her heart through the many years she spent fasting and praying in the temple.
  • wise men from the East by sending His star to lead them to come and worship Him. He chose the gifts that they brought: “gold to honor His kingship, frankincense to honor His Divinity, and myrrh to honor His Humanity which was destined for death. Myrrh was used at His burial. The crib and the Cross are related again, for there is myrrh at both.”[6]

Jesus chose His human Name

Names given to our Lord in the Old Testament looked forward to His coming as the Savior of the world.  As Gabriel appeared to Mary, he said, “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus” (Luke 1:31).  An angel of the Lord appeared to [Joseph] in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:20-21).

This is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Joshua, which was originally Hoshea (Num. 13:8, 16), but changed by Moses into Jehoshua (Num. 13:16; 1 Chr. 7:27), or Joshua. After the Exile it assumed the form Jeshua, whence the Greek form Jesus. It was given to our Lord to denote the object of his mission, to save (Matt. 1:21).  – Easton’s Bible Dictionary

Jesus (je’-zus) = Jehovah is salvation; Jehova, my salvation; Savior. Greek form of Jehoshua. – Exhaustive Dictionary of Bible names

Jesus means “Jehovah is salvation,” Christ means “Anointed One.” Since names were so important in Biblical times, Jesus knew that those who trust Him would understand why He chose the name He did. 

Jesus chose the town in which He grew up

And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene” (Matthew 2:23).

Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets wrote – Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” And Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?”  Philip said to him, “Come and see” (John 1:45-46).

It was not by accident that He spent His youth in Nazareth, a place despised by others. He knew that He would be despised and rejected of men (Isaiah 53:3). He could then identify with those who did not measure up in the eyes of men.

In this quiet and obscure village, He learned submission to His mother and foster father all the while knowing His calling was to do the will of His Heavenly Father. “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men (Luke 2:29-52).

The years in Nazareth prepared Him for His ministry. Submission to His earthly family prepared Him for the trials ahead. Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered, and having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (Hebrews 5:8).

Jesus Chose to Be Born In Order to Die 

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work (1 John 3:8)   the Lamb that was slain from the creation of the world (Revelation 13:8 NIV).

Jesus took on man’s skin because it is only possible for a man to die.  In order to offer salvation to mankind, He chose to be our substitute.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death on the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:5-11 NKJV).

In the NKJV above, Paul said that Jesus made Himself of no reputation (verse 7). Many other translations render that emptied Himself; NCV but he gave up his place with God and made himself nothing and NLT he gave up his divine privileges.  Even though The Message is a paraphrase, not a thought for thought or a word for word translation, it does bring some clarity to our modern ears.

Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of the status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lives a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death – and the worst kind of death at that – a crucifixion.  Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth – even those long ago dead and buried – will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father (Philippians 2:5-11 The Message).

In his comments on this passage, Charles Ryrie says the doctrine of Kenosis (Greek for “an emptying”) is derived from verse 7 – emptied Himself or made Himself of no reputation:

But in what sense does Paul mean that Christ emptied Himself at the incarnation? “Emptied” may be a misleading translation because it connotes Christ’s giving up or losing some of His divine attributes during His earthly life, and that was not the case. Therefore, the kenosis cannot be understood to mean a subtraction of deity but the addition of humanity with its consequent limitations. Indeed, in the passage itself, the verb “emptied” is explained by three participles which follow—(1) taking the form of a servant, (2) becoming in the likeness of men, and (3) being found in fashion as a man. The kenosis is further explained in the text by the parallel clause which follows, “He humbled himself.” The idea is that by taking on humanity with its limitations, there was a humbling which, although real, did not involve the giving up of any divine attributes.

If our Lord did surrender some of His divine attributes when He came to earth, then His essential character would have been changed, and He would not have been fully God while on earth. You cannot subtract any attributes without changing the character of the person. . . Thus any doctrine of kenosis which says Christ surrendered attributes at the incarnation is in direct conflict with scriptural evidence concerning His person during the incarnation.

What is included in a proper statement of the true doctrine of the kenosis? The concept involves the veiling of Christ’s preincarnate glory (Jn 17:5), the condescension of taking on Himself the likeness of sinful flesh (Ro 8:3), and the voluntary nonuse of some of His attributes of deity during the time of His earthly life (Mt 24:36). His humanity was not a glorified humanity and was thus subject to temptation, weakness, pain, and sorrow. Choosing not to use His divine attributes is quite different from saying that He gave them up. Nonuse does not mean subtraction.[7]

Jesus chose to be born the Son of Man. In Heaven, in His perfection, He maintains both natures.  He identified with man as a child, as a boy, as a young man who carried out His Father’s call during His life. He still identifies with us as He intercedes for us at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens (Hebrews 7:25, 8:1).

And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

Jesus chose to be born the Son of Man so that you could be born again as a child of God.

© Stephanie B. Blake

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission.  All rights reserved

[1] Guffin, Gilbert L. The Gospel in Isaiah, Convention Press, Nashville, TN 1968, Foregleams of Christ, p. 69

[2]Henry, Matthew: Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible : Complete and Unabridged in One Volume. Peabody : Hendrickson, 1996, c1991, S. Jn 8:48

[3]Ryrie, Charles Caldwell: A Survey of Bible Doctrine. Chicago : Moody Press, 1995, c1972

[4] The Period Between the Testaments,1949 F.F Bruce. Reproduced by permission. Prepared for the Web in March 2008 by Robert I. Bradshaw.http://www.biblicalstudies.org.uk/

[5] ibid

[6] Sheen, Fulton, Life of Christ, McGraw Hill Book Company, New York, 1958, p. 40.

[7]Ryrie, Charles Caldwell: A Survey of Bible Doctrine. Chicago : Moody Press, 1995, c1972

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Word Focus

The Blessed Disciple: A Study of Psalm 119

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The next three Bible studies were designed to be used together. In a study of Psalm 119, there are three sections:

The Disciple’s Personal Blessing

The Disciple’s Path

The Disciple’s Prayers

I also have two appendixes to accompany this study.

Appendix 1 contains the references to the disciple’s past, present and future.

Appendix 2 contains the prayer requests of the psalmist in Psalm 119.

If you would like to have these appendixes, please contact me. I would be glad to share them with you.

Word Focus

The Disciple’s Personal Blessing

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The Disciple’s Personal Blessing (Psalm 119)

Do you want to be blessed by God? Is there joy in your service? Do you feel like there is something missing in your spiritual life? You are saved, but do you feel blessed? You are serving God, but do you sense the blessing of God on your service?

God blessed Adam and Eve because it was His desire to do so. Then they sinned. Although it is God’s desire to bless us, He is holy and cannot bless disobedience. Thereafter nearly every time the word blessed is used in scripture, it is directed toward those who love and obey God.

Others can also be blessed through the obedience of His own (Genesis 39:5 states the Egyptian’s house was blessed because of Joseph). Galatians 3:8-9

Yes, God can certainly bless us with material things, but the word itself deals with the spiritual – defined as hallowed, sacred, consecrated, holy, and bringing comfort or joy.

The very first psalm describes the blessed man as one whose delight is in the law of the Lord and who meditates on His law day and night.

In Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus did what this psalmist asked: He teaches the law of God to His disciples and describes how God blesses a godly character. Character does not define what you do, but who you are. These are not natural characteristics of every man. They are produced by the grace of God and are exclusive to the person who seeks after God – a person who is spiritually blessed. Read Matthew 5:3-12.

G. Campbell Morgan explains these characteristics in The Gospel According to Matthew.

  • “poor in spirit” means truly subject, willing to be governed. There is a recognition of lack, but also a recognition of something that supplies the lack. Consciousness of a great need (poor in spirit) recognizes a great provision (the kingdom of God).
  • The man “poor in spirit” mourns over his own sin, and thus will be comforted by the Holy Spirit of God.
  • The meek are “obedient to the rule of the King; meekness is the submissive spirit, the spirit of true humility.” Christ gave the perfect example (Matthew 11:29) for those who shall inherit the earth.
  • Those that hunger and thirst after righteousness have a “Divine discontent with everything unlike God” and they shall be filled.

Morgan states that “upon the basis of that growth (the first four characteristics) there follow the virtues of the Christian life. Mercifulness – indicating service; purity of heart – indicating the inward condition; peacemaking – indicating the effect produced on others. Then crowning all, there is the great Beatitude, which illuminates the process of pain, and suffering, and persecution, through which men pass into this great character.”

D. Martyn-Lloyd Jones says that “the Christian is a man, and the only man in the world, who is truly aware of his own limitations” (Studies in the Sermon on the Mount). He says that the beatitudes start and end with “for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” because “you belong to a different kingdom. You are in this world; but you are not of it. You are among those other people, yes, but you are citizens of another kingdom.”

The mother of Jesus was blessed because of her obedience. He tells His disciples (Matthew 13:16), “Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear”. He tells Thomas (John 20:29), “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin” (Romans 4:8).

What does it mean to have the blessing of God on your life? Check out Psalm 119 for some answers. “Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways” (verses 1-3).

The psalmist wants the blessing of God. In the first three verses, he speaks of “those” and “they” stating a general principle. In verse four, he changed from speaking of God as “the Lord” and “Him” and begins his prayers with, “You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently.” Starting with verse five until the end of the psalm, his prayer is very personal using pronouns “You”, “Your”, “I”, “me” and “my” – pledging to God the commitment of his heart.

We learn about God through His word – His Son Jesus Christ, the Living Word and His written word, the Bible. The disciple of Psalm 119 realizes the importance of God’s words expressed in His precepts, testimonies, laws, commandments, judgments and statutes.

Charles H. Spurgeon, a respected 19th century British Baptist preacher, wrote a three-volume work on the Psalms called “The Treasury of David.” In his preface to volume III, he says,

I have been all the longer over this portion of my task because I have been bewildered in the expanse of the One Hundred and Nineteenth Psalm, which makes up the bulk of this volume. Its dimensions and its depth alike overcame me….Other Psalms have been mere lakes, but this is the main ocean….This great Psalm is a book in itself; instead of being one among many Psalms, it is worthy to be set forth by itself as a poem of surpassing excellence. Those who have never studied it may pronounce it commonplace, and complain of its repetitions; but to the thoughtful student it is like the great deep, full, so as never to be measured; and varied, so as never to weary the eye…

I am captivated by every reading of Psalm 119 – discovering a new theme, another revelation of God and more depth of understanding of the heart of the man who wrote it. Although the psalmist may have been David (and Spurgeon was sure it was), many say the author cannot be known for certain. One thing we do know for sure. This man was led by God to write down the desire of his heart – to love God by learning, heeding and keeping His commandments.

The blessed disciple concentrates on the Lord and communicates with Him directly:

  • You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently (v. 4)
  • Blessed are You, O Lord (v. 12)
  • You shall enlarge my heart (v. 32)
  • Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope (v. 49)
  • You are my portion, O Lord (v. 57)
  • You are good and do good (v. 68)
  • Your hands had made me and fashioned me (v. 73)
  • I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right (v. 75)
  • All Your commandments are faithful (v. 86)
  • Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides (v. 89-90)
  • I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have given me life (v. 93)
  • Your commandment is exceedingly broad (v. 96)
  • You, through Your commandments, make me wiser than my enemies (v. 98)
  • Your testimonies are my meditation (v. 99)
  • I have not departed from Your judgments, for You Yourself have taught me (v. 102)
  • Your testimonies are wonderful (v. 129)
  • The unfolding of Your words gives light (v. 130)
  • Righteous are You, O Lord, and upright are Your judgments (v. 137)
  • Your word is very pure (v. 140)
  • Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and Your law is truth (v. 142)
  • The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting (v. 144)
  • You are near, O Lord, and all Your commandments are truth (v. 151)
  • Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that You have founded them forever (v. 152)
  • The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever (v. 160)
  • …For all Your commandments are righteousness (v. 172) (all verses taken from New Kings James Version)

There are many things revealed about God’s nature. He is blessed, good and righteous. God’s word is settled in heaven. His faithfulness endures to all generations. He established the earth and it stands. His righteousness is everlasting. His testimonies have been founded forever.

With all the revelations of how majestic God is, the psalmist knows Him as a personal God, for he says: You will enlarge my heart (32), You have caused me to hope (49); You are my portion (57); Your hands have made me and fashioned me (73), You have given me life (93), You Yourself have taught me (102) and You are near (151).

Men can look around them and see God’s creation and should recognize His creative genius and power and worship Him (Romans 1:20-21). Many don’t, though, because they do not relate to Him as a personal God. The Creator to them is distant and not accessible.

I can know many things about someone else. I can study his life and his accomplishments, but unless and until I have a personal relationship with that person, there are things about him I will never discover. For instance, the first American president I remember was Dwight D. Eisenhower, a five star Army General in WW II who served as Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces in Europe. He became President in 1953 and served until 1961. I respected and admired him, but I didn’t know him personally.

Although my father also served in that war, he was known by few people outside his family. However, I knew him as no one else knew him. He introduced me to Christ and loved me. When he died at age 90, I knew I was the one he wanted with him. That made all the difference. My personal relationship with my father had a larger impact on my life than knowing everything I could ever learn about President Eisenhower.

You may be sure that God is sovereign, good and righteous and that His Son died so that whoever would believe on Him would become a child of His. Many people know this about God but they don’t know God. Until you come to understand that He loves YOU personally, you will never feel blessed. In turn, you will not be able to bless others if you don’t have the assurance in your life that God is personally interested in YOU.

Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. You must settle your relationship with God before you can love and serve others. People who love themselves in the wrong way – selfishly – only think of themselves. If you obey God, you will love yourself in the right way – a healthy love. Knowing that God loves you frees you to take your attention off of yourself and onto others. Why should you love yourself? Why should I love myself?

  • God in Christ gave His life for me. – John 10:14-15, Romans 5:8
  • God loves me – John 3:16, Isaiah 43:25
  • God made me – Psalm 139:13-16; Jeremiah 1:5
  • God has a plan for my life – Jeremiah 29:11-13, Proverbs 3:5,6
  • God cares about the smallest details of my life – Luke 12:7
  • God is molding me – Philippians 1:6, 2:13 – He’s not through with me!
  • God hears me when I call – Psalms 4:3, Jeremiah 33:3
  • God personally teaches me – Psalm 32:8, John 16:13, James 1:5
  • God protects me – Psalm 91:1, Isaiah 41:10,43:1,2, Ephesians 6:10-17
  • God dwells with me – Ezekiel 37:27, John 1:14, Hebrews 13:5b
  • God trusts me to do His will – Matthew 28:18-20, John 17
  • God gives me power to do His will – Acts 1:8, II Timothy 1:7
  • God provides my needs – Matthew 6:31-34, Philippians 4:19
  • God will speak for me in time of trial – Matthew 10:19-20, Luke 21:14-15
  • God gives my life purpose – Philippians 3:13-14
  • God will provide rest – Matthew 11:28-30
  • God determines where I will live – Acts 16:6,9, Acts 17:26
  • God provides me a way of escape from temptation – I Corinthians 10:13
  • God gave me at least one spiritual gift – I Corinthians 12:7
  • God gives me an eternal heritance – Eph. 1:11, I Peter 1:4
  • My citizenship is in Heaven – Philippians 3:20

Look once more at the seven statements the psalmist makes about his personal relationship with God. Notice the personal pronouns.

You shall enlarge my heart (32)

Moffatt paraphrases this verse, “I will obey thee eagerly as thou dost open up my life.” The Maker of your heart knows how to enlarge your desire for Him.

The last stanza of “The Longer I Serve Him,” by Christian hymn writer Bill Gaither is:

The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.

The more that I love Him, more love He bestows.

Each day is like Heaven, my heart overflows.

The longer I serve Him, the sweeter He grows.

You have caused me to hope (49)

We hope because of God and God does not disappoint.

The good news of salvation runs throughout this psalm. The men of faith in the Old Testament were saved by grace through faith (see Romans 4:3, 5, 16, 18-22).

God’s word in the Old Testament prophesied of God’s salvation through the coming Messiah. His word in the New Testament recorded that salvation obtained through the miraculous birth, sinless life, sacrificial death and bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ. As the men of old (including this psalmist) believed God would deliver what He promised, men today look back upon that accomplished fact in history. The Son of God gives all believers “the hope of glory.”

The hope the Psalmist had and the hope Abraham had is the same hope that we have. Eight times this psalmist mentions hope (43, 49, 74, 81, 114, 116, 147 and 166). “Lord, I hope for Your salvation, and I do Your commandments (v. 166).

  • “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord” (Jeremiah 17:7).
  • “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Romans 5:5)
  • “And now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13)
  • “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling” (Ephesians 4:4)
  • “because of the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel” (Colossians 1:5)
  • “To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27)
  • “Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope” (1 Timothy 1:1)
  • “full assurance of the hope until the end…that  to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul… (read Hebrews 6:10-20)
  • “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1:3)

You are my portion (57)

TEV (Today’s English Version) – “You are all I want.”

In Psalm 142:5, David said, “I cried out to You, O Lord; I said, “You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living.” Before a follower of Christ enters eternity through death, while still living on the earth (the land of the living), he is constantly in need of help from God. He needs His protection (refuge) and he needs His guidance.

At one point in our ministry, Satan’s attacks upon our family were so strong I nearly despaired. The verse God gave me during that time was Psalm 27:13, “I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” He did get us through it and I did once more become aware of the goodness of God. Had He not been “my portion” during that time, Satan would have won.

If God is your portion in this life, you have all you need. God is more than enough.

In heaven, I will not need refuge. Temptation, trials and despair will be no more. However, while we are still here in the land of the living, He must be our portion. Nothing else will do.

One commentator (John Field, 1882) said that “the believer’s portion” is a “gift by covenant,” “involved in joint heirship with Christ” and “confirmed by the experience of faith,” stating that if you “meditate much upon God, under the conviction that he is your portion,” you can “draw largely upon his riches to meet every need as it arises.” – Treasury of David, page 456.

Your hands have made me and fashioned me (73) 

“Your hands have made me, cunningly fashioned and established me” (Amplified). Man was God’s special creation. From the dust of the ground God formed man (with His hands?) and breathed life into his nostrils (Genesis 2:7). He is also active in the formation of every soul who has ever lived (Psalm 139:13-16).

God made you, established a plan for your life and is molding you in the image of His Son. 

You have given me life (93)

“I will never forget Your precepts, [how can I?] for it is by them You have quickened me (given me life) (Amplified). Some translations render given me life “revived me” (NASB).

“Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?” (Job 31:15) God is Creator of all, but not all are His children – quickened to life by salvation through Jesus Christ, revived from death to life. “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life” (John 5:24). “He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12).

Until one is born of the Spirit, he is the walking dead. “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned – (Romans 5:12) …”so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:21).

When sin entered the world, the devil told Eve, “You will not surely die.” He lied. Death entered the world with that first sin. All men die once (Hebrews 9:27), but for those who do not accept Christ as Savior, there will be a second death (Revelation 20:13-15). “The last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (1 Corinthians 15:26).

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26). For believers, everlasting life begins at the moment of spiritual birth. “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15). The Bible calls the death of a believer “sleep”. “But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20).

You Yourself have taught me (102)

It is impossible to get more personal than “You Yourself.” “You” is emphatic. God is the One who opens his eyes for him to see the benefit of His ways.

In our last session, we will look at the prayer requests of this psalmist. One of them is in verse 18: “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law.” Many times he asked the Lord to teach him. In this verse near the end of the psalm, we see the answer to his prayer. 

You are near (151) 

At the beginning of this session, we noted that many people think God is distant and unapproachable. This disciple knows differently. God is near – as close as his thoughts, his heart and his breath.

When my father was dying, I knew he wanted me to be near him. I didn’t have to say much. In fact, he couldn’t talk to me. He was on a breathing machine. The doctors told me that before I got there, he had been struggling. He had pulled out all the tubes and tried to get out of bed. He tried to fight the doctors. When he saw me, everything changed. He stopped struggling. He relaxed. His daughter that he loved was near him. That was all that mattered.

I know the value of feeling my Father’s presence. I talk a lot to God, but not always. I just feel Him near me. I know if He needs to say something to me or I need to say something to him we can talk. All I really need to know is that He is near.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

When you communicate the gospel to others, it is important that you let them know God is personally calling them. His Spirit will draw them to Himself. You can be the one who introduces them to Jesus, but it is Jesus Himself who will love them like no one else can. Just as I have a personal relationship with each of my sons, God has a personal relationship with each of His children.

You cannot share what you do not have. There are many things I would like to share with you, but if I do not possess them myself, I cannot give them to you. Likewise, others can tell if you have a genuine relationship with God and feel His blessing. That relationship is the best testimony you have.

When you are sure of the love of God in your life, you can share it with others. God will use you as a mouthpiece and an example – just like He used this psalmist.

Personal Reflection

Can you now say that you feel blessed by God in your life…your ministry…your relationship with Him?

How has God blessed you personally? Do you feel His hand on your life? Is He guiding you?

Which of the personal reflections of the psalmist spoke to you the most and why?

  1. You shall enlarge my heart
  2. You have caused me to hope
  3. You are my portion
  4. Your hands have made me and fashioned me
  5. You have given me life
  6. Yourself have taught me
  7. You are near

How does knowing that God loves YOU help you share the gospel with those who need to hear it? What can you tell others about His love?

© Stephanie B. Blake

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Word Focus

The Disciple’s Path

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The Disciple’s Path (Psalm 119)

Assured of a personal relationship with God, the psalmist also recognizes the sovereignty of God over his life. He knows God blesses obedience and that his own heart will guide his behavior. Whatever God has planned for him, he knows it is good and right.

The psalmist has an intimate, personal relationship with God, but he knows his place. He does use the personal pronouns “I,” “me” and “my” when talking to God, but twelve times he calls himself “Your servant” (verses 17, 23, 38, 49, 65, 76, 84, 122, 124, 125, 135, 140).  He is God’s possession: “I am Yours, save me; for I have sought Your precepts” (verse 94). “You are bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20).

The psalmist declares the sovereignty of God over heaven, the earth and all peoples. “Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; You established the earth, and it abides. They continue this day according to Your ordinances, for all are Your servants” (verses 89-91). Everything belongs to God.

The pronoun “Your” is used over 200 times in this psalm, always of God: Your righteous judgments, Your statutes, Your word, Your commandments, Your testimonies, Your precepts, Your way(s), Your law, Your ordinances, Your salvation, Your favor, Your mercies, Your mouth, Your hand, Your custom, Your name, Your face, Your lovingkindness, Your justice and Your servant(s).

Knowing God’s way is the way of truth (verse 30), the psalmist states that God has revealed Himself through His words, statutes, commandments (law), precepts and testimonies. Determined to live according to God’s plan for his life, he pays attention to what He says.

The same should be true for us. We cannot separate the love of holy God and His commandments. As sinful men, we come short of completely obeying God’s law. Jesus Christ, the Way, the Truth and the Life, fulfilled God’s law for us, paid the price for our sin on His cross, and offered us eternal life as His love gift. There is no way to repay the Giver of our blessings, but we can please Him. What He asks from us is our heart.

To Walk in His Ways 

We please God by loving, trusting and obeying Him. Then He freely blesses us.

And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and to love Him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes which I command you today for your good? (Deuteronomy 10:12-13).

He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart…”  (Mark 12:30).

Psalm 119, the longest chapter in the Bible, has one dominant theme. It is expressed in the first three verses: Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord! Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart! They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways. The remaining verses of the psalm are a prayer of the psalmist. He has described the blessed man in verse 1 through 3. In verses 4 through 176, he addresses God.

We each choose whether or not we will follow God and how we will do it. In Psalm 119, we see that the blessed man makes a lifelong choice, delights in the path God provides for him, walks with a wholehearted purpose, stays on the path, watches for obstacles, looks for treasure along the way and invites others to walk with him.

1.    Make a lifelong choice

Richard and I often take walks whenever we can. In our hometown in Texas, there is a walking path we often use, but it is there whether we use it or not. We choose to use it on occasion, but there are days when we do not use it. We can choose to walk on it or not.

The law of the Lord is like that. It is true and righteous whether or not you choose to obey it, but when you do obey it, you are blessed. The blessed man chooses to walk on the path God has set for him – in the law of the Lord (verse 1). “I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I had laid before me” (verse 30).

When you accept Christ as Savior, you become a child of God and cannot lose your salvation. However, you can be a disobedient child. On your daily walk with Him, you must continually choose to follow Him. Satan is lying in wait to make your life miserable and cause you to have a bad testimony.

This psalmist recognizes his life is comprised of a timetable. What he has done in his past has influenced his present and what he does today will influence tomorrow. Blessed is the man who can look in his past and know that he has been mostly obedient. Like this psalmist, though, we “have gone astray like a lost sheep” (verse 176) and need the Lord to seek us out for salvation.

There are over twenty verses that deal with his past; over sixty that deal with his present and over twenty that deal with his future.

His past:

The psalmist has a history with the Lord. He has kept record of His trustworthiness – just as we might keep a journal. One entry was this: “Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction” (verse 92).

His present:

Yesterday is gone and tomorrow is unsure. Today is the day we are given to live for the Lord. “Your testimonies are my delight and my counselors” (verse 24).

His future:

We can make a predetermined choice about serving God. That’s what Joshua did when he said, “as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). The psalmist has done the same. He knows, like Joshua did, that our truest liberty is in the choices we make. We have the liberty to serve God. Even in the harshest circumstances – such as prison, concentration camps and the like – we can still choose. Our focus in our thoughts can be on God and His will in our lives or we can feel sorry for ourselves and become unproductive.

No one can take that liberty from us. “And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts (verse 45). Liberty is found in Jesus Christ: “If the Son sets you free, you shall be free indeed” (John 8:36).

Upon receiving Christ as Savior, believers should pledge to follow Him as Lord. That decision, made in the past, must be lived out in the present and settled for the future. Some who profess to be Christians say they believe in Christ, are going to heaven when they die, but desire to live without God’s influence in their lives in the meantime. Although only God can judge the sincerity of a believer, those who live that way are not blessed nor can they effectively lead others to Christ.

2.    Delight in the Path

“And I will delight myself in Your commandments, which I love” (verse 47).

The psalmist loves the Giver and the gift. Ten times the psalmist says he loves God’s word. Jesus said, “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him” (John 14:21). If you love Jesus, the Living Word, you will love His words – law, etc. “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble” (verse 165).

3.    Walk with a wholehearted purpose

He is intentional about the path he is taking for the Lord. He knows that if his mind is not filled with the word of God that his heart can go astray. What we treasure in our hearts guides our thoughts and our actions. Like the psalmist, let your heart lead you through the journey of life.  “With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments. Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (verse 10-11).

God made us with a yearning to find a purpose in life. As we seek that purpose, we need to be focused. We can get caught up in the minutiae of living and neglect to accomplish God’s will. We cannot be divided. “Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart” (verse 2).

I will praise You with uprightness of heart, when I learn your righteous judgments (Psalm 119:7). Holy God desires our praise – for His love, for His grace expressed through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus Christ and for His righteousness.

With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments (Psalm 119:10). Even with a commitment to seek and to serve God, the psalmist knows there will always be a temptation to focus on something other than God and His will.

Your word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against You (Psalm 119:11). Perhaps the most well known verse in this psalm, the secret to staying in God’s will is to stay close to Him (or as Jesus put it “abide in Him”), to listen to Him, to know His word intimately.

I will run the course of Your commandments, for You shall enlarge my heart (Psalm 119:32). The longer a believer serves and obeys God, the larger the capacity for loving Him becomes.

Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; Indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart (Psalm 119:34). This is not a plea for understanding as the world defines it, but as God does. As Solomon put it in Proverbs 9:10: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to covetousness (Psalm 119:36). Sinful human nature can lead one to covet the things of the world. The psalmist wants to love what is lasting – the things of God.

I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; be merciful to me according to Your word (Psalm 119:58). We do not deserve God’s favor, but He promises it to those who truly love Him.

The proud have forged a lie against me, but I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart (Psalm 119:69). C. H. Spurgeon said: “We must first get a thing before we can keep it. In order to keep it well we must get a firm grip of it: we cannot keep in the heart that which we have not heartily embraced by the affections.” When our affections are set on God, the darts of the wicked fall short of their goal.

Let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes, that I may not be ashamed (Psalm 119:80). Sin originates in the heart. The psalmist did not want to look back on his life and regret falling short of God’s best for Him. He mentions his desire to be unashamed several times in this psalm (6, 31, 46, 80, 116).  Each of us should have the same goal. If, as a young person, we were determined to never shame the name of Christ, what a difference that would make. – How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word (v.9).

Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart (Psalm 119:111). God’s involvement in our lives is cause for rejoicing. “I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches” (v. 14). Our eternal heritage is life forever with God in the place He has prepared for us. No matter the trials here on earth, we can with confidence look forward to that inheritance.

I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, to the very end (Psalm 119:112). In verse 64 of this psalm, the author says, Lord, the earth is filled with your faithful love; teach me Your statutes (HCSB). God has no obligation to anyone except Himself, but even so, He shows His love to us by His faithfulness to His promises. We owe God everything and are obligated to show Him our love by trusting and obeying Him – to the very end.

I cry out with my whole heart; hear me, O Lord! I will keep Your statutes (Psalm 119:145). The psalmist’s decision has been made. He will remain faithful to the God who was faithful to him.

Princes persecute me without a cause, but my heart stands in awe of Your word. I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure (Psalm 119:161-162). The inevitable persecution that Christians encounter cannot be compared to the awesome treasure of knowing God.

To those true disciples who were true believers Jesus said, “Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love Him and manifest Myself to him….If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love (John 14:19-21, 15:10).

Looking forward by faith to the Messiah’s fulfillment of the law and the offer of grace through His sacrifice, the psalmist knew that his love for God would be evident as he kept His commandments.

4.    Stay on the Path

Yes, you’ve made your choice. You’ve determined to love God and obey Him.

You must continue to choose. Stay on the path. The psalmist determines not to wander (verse 10). He does not turn aside (verse 51) nor did he forsake God’s precepts (verse 87).

When I walk on the path in my hometown, I have noticed poison ivy on the side. If I stay on the path, I’m OK. If I get off the path, I can get in trouble.

Jesus has done the hard work for you. He has already set an example of what it is like to walk in God’s ways and do His will.

This psalmist is determined to follow the path of obedience.

“{Blessed are those who] walk in HIs ways (verse 3)

“Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes! (verse 5)

“With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments” (verse 10)

“I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches” (verse 14)

“I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid before me” (verse 30)

“I will run the course of Your commandments, for You shall enlarge my heart” (verse 32)

He asks the Lord to “make me walk in the path of Your commandments, for I delight in it” (verse 35)

“And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts” (verse 45)

“I thought about my ways, and turned my feet to Your testimonies” (verse 59)

“Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path” (verse 105)

He asks the Lord to “direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me” (verse 133)

5.    Watch for Obstacles

When I walk through the woods or my footpath in Texas, there are many times when I have to deal with obstacles in the path. Maybe there was a storm that caused a large branch or tree to fall into the pathway. Maybe there was so much rain the path was not safe. Sometimes there are animals in the path. Obstacles and trials are inevitable.

The psalmist was determined not to wander, but had to deal with obstacles nonetheless. Satan will always try to get us to stray. We need to work our way through keeping our eyes on Jesus.

“You rebuke the proud-the cursed, who stray from Your commandments” (verse 21)

“Princes also sit and speak against me, but Your servant meditates on Your statutes (verse 23)

“So shall I have an answer for him who reproaches me, for I trust in Your word (verse 42)

“The proud have me in great derision, yet I do not turn aside from Your law (verse 51)

“The cords of the wicked have bound me, but I have not forgotten Your law” (verse 61)

“The proud have forged a lie against me, but I will keep Your precepts with my whole heart (verse 69)

“Let the proud be ashamed, for they treated me wrongfully with falsehood; but I will meditate on Your precepts (verse 78)

“The proud have dug pits for me, which is not according to Your law. All Your commandments are faithful; they persecute me wrongfully; help me! They almost made an end of me on earth, but I did not forsake Your precepts (verses 85-87 see also 81-84)

“The wicked wait for me to destroy me, but I will consider Your testimonies (verse 95)

“The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I have not strayed from Your precepts (verse 110)

“I hate the double-minded, but I love Your law” (verse 113)

“You reject all those who stray from Your statutes, for their deceit is falsehood. You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross; therefore I love Your testimonies. My flesh trembles for fear of You, and I am afraid of Your judgments” (verses 118-120)

“Redeem me from the oppression of man, that I may keep Your precepts” (verse 134)

“Rivers of water run down my eyes, because men do not keep Your law” (verse 136)

“My zeal has consumed me, because my enemies have forgotten Your words” (verse 139)

“Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, yet Your commandments are my delights (verse 143)

“They draw near who follow after wickedness; they are far from Your law” (verse 150)

“Consider my affliction and deliver me, for I do not forget Your law. Plead my cause and redeem me; revive me according to Your word. Salvation is far from the wicked, for they do not seek Your statutes” (verses 153-155)

“Many are my persecutors and my enemies, yet I do not turn from Your testimonies. I see the treacherous and am disgusted, because they do not keep Your word (verses 157, 158)

“Princes persecute me without a cause, but my heart stands in awe of Your word (verse 161)

Some of the obstacles are of our own making.

“Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word” (verse 67)

“It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes (verse 71)

“I know, O Lord, that Your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me (verse 75)

“Unless Your law had been my delight, I would then have perished in my affliction (verse 92)

6.    Look for Treasure

As I take walks, I look down as I am walking and have on occasion found some treasures (money someone has dropped, a beautiful flower, pecans, etc). I would not notice these things if I wasn’t looking.

I get great joy when I study God’s word and find treasures I have never seen before. I would not find them if I was not looking. “I rejoice at Your word as one who finds great treasure” (verse 162).

God’s words serve as a map for the path He wants you to take. The psalmist does not separate the law of the Lord from the Lord Himself. If you love God’s law, you love God. Jesus made this clear as well. The God who loves you wants to bless you, but you must choose to evidence your love for him through your obedience.

Distinguish between the treasures of God and the treasures of the world. “The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver (verse 72)

Jesus said, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your heart is, there your treasure will be also” (Matthew 6:19-21).

We store our treasures in our hearts. “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things” (Matthew 12:35).

7.    Invite Others to Walk with You

This psalmist has a personal relationship with God, seeks His will with his whole heart, but knows that God’s purpose for his life includes bringing others to that understanding.

He knows he is part of a larger family of God and that others are brought into the family just as he was – by discovering God’s love.

As he benefits from the richness of God’s love, he also wants others to know Him as well. “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble” (verse 165).

“You have commanded us to keep Your precepts diligently” (verse 4).

“With my lips I have declared all the judgments of Your mouth”  (verse 13).

“I will speak of Your testimonies also before kings, and will not be ashamed” (verse 46).

“I am a companion of all who fear You, and of those who keep Your precepts” (verse 63).

“Those who fear You will be glad when they see me, because I have hoped in Your word (verse 74).

“Let those who fear You turn to me, those who know Your testimonies (verse 79).

“My lips shall utter praise, for You teach me Your statutes. My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness” (verses 171-172).

Personal Reflection

Did any of the descriptions of the blessed man speak to you personally? If so, which one impacted you the most:

  1. Make a lifelong choice
  2. Delight in the path God has provided
  3. Walk with a wholehearted purpose
  4. Stay on the path
  5. Watch for obstacles
  6. Look for treasure
  7. Invite others to walk with you

© Stephanie B. Blake

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Word Focus

The Disciple’s Prayers

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The Disciple’s Prayers (Psalm 119)

Throughout his prayer in verses 5 through 176, the psalmist comes to God without reservation. He holds nothing back. He realizes God knows him completely but that it is his responsibility to acknowledge His hand in his life.

In the personal relationship he has with God, he recognizes God’s sovereignty, knows his place, uses His words as a guide, asks God to teach him, pleads for His mercy, recognizes the need for revival, seeks understanding, wants to be free from sin, desires God’s comfort and constant presence. As we look at these elements of prayer, we can identify with them. The heart’s desire of the psalmist is captured in verse 133: “Direct my steps by Your word, and let no iniquity have dominion over me.” May our desire be the same.

I Recognize Your Sovereignty

“You established the earth, and it abides” (verse 90). 

Over 200 times the psalmist asserts God’s ownership by using the word “Your” – Your precepts, statutes, commandments, righteous judgments, words, mouth, testimonies, ways, servant, law, wonderful works, mercies, salvation, ordinances, name, favor, merciful kindness, faithfulness, custom, face, lovingkindness, justice, hand. It bears repeating that God is sovereign, in charge and in control. We need Him.

I Know My Place

“Establish Your word to Your servant, who is devoted to fearing You” (verse 38).

  • With my whole heart I have sought You (verse 10).
  • I am a stranger in the earth (verse 19) “Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the soul” (1 Peter 2: 11-12).
  • My soul clings to the dust (verse 25).
  • I have declared my ways, and You answered me (verse 26).
  • My soul melts from heaviness (verse 28).
  • I long for Your precepts (verse 40).
  • I have hoped in Your ordinances (verse 43).
  • I believe Your commandments (verse 66).
  • Your hands have made me and fashioned me (verse 73).
  • Your law is my delight (verse 77).
  • I am Yours (verse 94).
  • I am Your servant (verse 125).
  • I cry out with my whole heart (verse 145).
  • I cry out to You (verse 146).
  • I do not forget Your law (verse 153).
  • Consider how I love Your precepts (verse 159).
  • I have chosen Your precepts (verse 173).
  • I have gone astray like a lost sheep — for I do not forget Your commandments (verse 176).

Your Words Are My Guide

“Remember the word to Your servant, upon which You have caused me to hope” (verse 49).

The psalmist declares God’s sovereignty (“Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven” -verse 89), knows his rightful place and recognizes the trustworthiness of God’s word (“The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever” – verse 160).

Therefore, he has decided to use God’s words as his guide.

He will:

  • heed God’s word (verse 9)
  • hide God’s word in his heart (verse 11)
  • rejoice in HIs testimonies (verses 14, 111)
  • meditate on God’s precepts, wonderful works and His ways (verses 15, 27, 48, 99, 148)
  • delight himself in God’s statutes and testimonies (verse 16, 24)
  • not forget God’s word (verses 16, 93, 109, 141, 153, 176)
  • keep God’s word (verses 17, 33, 34, 44, 57, 63, 67, 69, 88, 100, 106, 115, 129, 134, 145, 146, 167, 168)
  • be strengthened by God’s word (verse 28)
  • chosen the way of truth, laying God’s judgments before him (verse 30)
  • delight in His commandments (verse 35)
  • long for His precepts (verse 40)
  • be saved according to God’s word (verse 41)
  • trust in God’s word (verse 42)
  • hope in God’s ordinances and His word (verses 43, 74, 81, 114, 147)
  • seek God’s precepts (verse 45)
  • obtain life through God’s word (verse 50)
  • believe His commandments (verse 66)
  • hope in God’s word (verses 74, 81, 114, 147)
  • search God’s word (verse 82)
  • consider God’s testimonies (verse 95)
  • restrain his feet from evil in order to keep God’s word (verse 101)
  • make God’s words a lamp to his feet and a light to his path (verses 105, 130)
  • love God’s word (verses 113, 140, 119, 159, 163)
  • observe God’s statutes (verse 117)
  • long for God’s commandments (verse 131)
  • stay awake to meditate on God’s word (verse 148)
  • stand in awe of God’s word (verse 161)
  • rejoice in God’s word as one who finds great treasure (verse 162)
  • speak of God’s word (verse 172)

His determination to listen to and follow God was answered with God’s blessing on his life. “You have dealt well with Your servant, O Lord, according to Your word” (verse 65).

Teach Me 

“Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and teach me Your judgments” (verse 108).

Nine times he asked the Lord to “teach me…Your statutes, judgments, good judgment and knowledge” (verses 12, 26, 33, 64, 66, 68, 108, 124, 135).

He acknowledged God’s answer to that prayer in verses 71, 102 and 171:

  • “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.”
  • “I have not departed from Your judgments for You Yourself have taught me.”
  • “My lips shall utter praise, for You teach me Your statutes.”

Be Merciful to Me 

“Let Your tender mercies come to me, that I may live; for Your law is my delight (verse 77).

Six times he appealed to the mercy and lovingkindness of the Lord (verses 41, 76, 77, 88, 124,132, 149).

God is sovereign and in control, but the psalmist knows Him as loving and merciful. He is Almighty God, but He relates personally to us through His Son Jesus Christ. “Great are Your tender mercies, O Lord; revive me according to Your judgments” (verse 156).

Revive Me 

“Revive me according to Your lovingkindness, so that I may keep the testimony of Your mouth” (verse 88).

Nine times he asked the Lord to “revive me” (verses 25, 37, 40, 88, 107, 149, 154, 156, 159). Like this psalmist, we are in constant need of revival. That request is answered in a daily walk with the Lord.

Give Me Understanding

“Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments” (verse 73).

Six times he asked the Lord to “give me understanding” or “make me understand” (verses 27, 34, 73, 125, 144, 169).

God granted his request:

  • “I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation (verse 99).
  • “I understand more than the ancients, because I keep Your precepts” (verse 100).
  • “Through Your precepts I get understanding, therefore I hate every false way” (verse 104).
  • “The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple” (verse 130).

The psalmist recognizes that understanding is a continual process. He asked before and after he says he has understanding.

Keep Me from Sinning

“I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments” (verse 176).

Five times he recognizes sin in his life (verses 10, 29, 37, 67, 176). In the very last statement this psalmist makes in this particular psalm, he recognizes the constant temptation to go astray. He appeals to God to seek him out because he belongs to Him.

God gives a believer the ability to withstand temptation. “Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble” (verse 165). Paul says in 1 Corinthian 10:13 that God will always provide a way out. This psalmist knows the way out and peace are obtained by obeying God.

Comfort Me 

“Let, I Pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to Your word to Your servant” (verse 76).

The psalmist needed and wanted comfort in his relationship with God (50,52 and 76, 82).  He needed comfort in his affliction and he found it in God’s word. He was afflicted, but recognized God’s hand in permitting it (verses 67, 71, 75, 92, 107, 153).

Jesus promised and sent His Spirit to guide and comfort His followers. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). “But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you (The Amplified).

Be With Me, Lord, At All Times

Interspersed throughout this prayer are the psalmist’s constant awareness of his need for God.

Deal bountifully with Your servant (17), strengthen me according to Your word (28), make me walk in the path of Your commandments (35), Incline my heart to Your testimonies (36), establish Your word to Your servant (38, let my heart be blameless regarding Your statutes (80), accept, I pray the freewill offerings of my mouth (108), hold me up (117), be surety for Your servant for good (122), redeem me from the oppression of man (134), Make Your face shine upon Your servant (135), Let my cry come before You, O Lord (156), Let my supplication come before You (170), let Your hand become my help (173) let my soul live (175), seek Your servant (176).

God is faithful and true. The psalmist has confidence to ask the Lord to deal with him “according to Your word” eleven times (verses 25, 28, 41, 58, 76, 88, 107, 116, 154, 169, 170), according to Your mercy (verse 124), according to Your lovingkindness  (verse 149, 159) according to Your justice (verse 149), according to Your judgments (verse 156).

“Look upon me and be merciful to me as Your custom is toward those who love Your name”(verse 132).

A child might ask something of his father and remind him, “Dad, you promised!” That is how intimate a child of God’s relationship is with the Father. God delights in blessing His children and He is merciful to those who love Him.

Personal Reflection

What have you learned from Psalm 119 and the relationship that the psalmist had with his God?

Were you encouraged to pray for guidance or for God to teach you more about Him?

Do you feel the need for His mercy? Have you been discouraged? Do you need a revival in your spirit?

Has God revealed things to you that the world cannot understand? Do you long for more understanding of His word and His will in your life?

Do you feel the need to continually ask Him to keep you from sinning? Have you felt the comfort of His Holy Spirit?

Do you feel the blessing of God on your life and your ministry?

© Stephanie B. Blake

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Word Focus

The Heart Prayer that Pleases God

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But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).

How can you know that you are pleasing God when you pray?  Do you struggle with believing that He will answer your prayers or are you afraid that His answer might be different from your desires?

When God told Solomon to ask for anything, he asked for wisdom and the scripture said that it was pleasing in the sight of the Lord that Solomon had asked this thing (1 Kings 3:10 NAS). James said that if you lack wisdom, ask God, but only ask in faith believing that you will receive the guidance you ask for (James 1:5-8 emphasis mine).

When a disciple asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, He gave them a sample prayer much like the one He gave in His Sermon on the Mount (Luke 11:1-4 and Matthew 6:9-13).  In the Luke passage, He goes on to emphasize that persistent prayer is pleasing to God (Luke 11:5-13). Don’t give up.  Continue to pray until you get an answer.

Hebrews 11:6 gives us the basis for all prayer that is pleasing to God.  Faith pleases God.  Both of the examples above were pleasing to God because they were prayers based in faith.  Solomon acknowledged his total dependence upon God for guidance to lead His people.  Jesus emphasized that all that we have, including provision and proper relationship to others, is given to us by our Father in Heaven. The Message paraphrases Hebrews 11:6 this way, It’s impossible to please God apart from faith. And why?  Because anyone who wants to approach God must believe both that he exists and that he cares enough to respond to those who seek him.

How can you be sure that you are praying a prayer that pleases God – a prayer of faith? Do you really believe that God cares enough about you to respond to your prayer? Are you willing to adjust your desires to God’s will, acknowledging that He knows best, has a plan for your life, and will bring about those answers to your prayers that will bring glory to Him and fruit for you? Complete trust in God accepts His answer even when it was not the answer you desired.  The apostle Paul prayed three times for God to remove a thorn in the flesh, but accepted His answer, My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). Do you trust Him enough to accept whatever answer He has to give – knowing that He knows all about your circumstance and will do what is best?

The answer lies in what you truly believe about God (Hebrews 11:6).  Can you trust Him?  What has your experience revealed to you when you have trusted Him?  Has He ever let you down?  If you think He has, examine your heart.  Were you relying on His power and strength or yours or maybe even someone else?

It is your heart that God observes. See 1 Samuel 16:7, Psalm 44:21, Psalm 51:10, Psalm 51:17, Proverbs 4:23, Proverbs 17:22, Jeremiah 17:10, Matthew 5:8, Matthew 6:21, Mark 12:30, John 14:1, Romans 8:27, Romans 10:10,Ephesians 3:17,Philippians 4:7, Hebrews 4:12, Hebrews 10:22. Read through these passages. Note that according to God, your heart is the core of your being.  You can say one thing, but believe another.  You can believe something in your head, but not experience that belief in your heart.  James 2:19 states that you believe there is one God. You do well.  Even the demons believe – and tremble.

Although most translations render Psalm 19:14 as Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, I believe that what the NLT adds is appropriate: May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer (emphasis mine). He is delighted when we want to please Him. A heart prayer of faith pleases God.

Reflect on the scriptures below. In your own heart, do you truly believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6)?

  • For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His (2 Chronicles 16:9 NAS).

Examine this passage about Asa king of Judah.  Notice that when Asa relied on the Lord, God delivered him from the Ethiopians (2 Chronicles 14:9-15), but subsequently, Asa relied on man (king of Syria, 2 Chronicles 16:7-10) and not God.  What does this passage tell you about trusting God sometimes and not others?  Are there times you trust God and then others when you wonder if you can really trust Him? What makes the difference for you? What does God mean by those whose heart is completely His?

Compare the beginning of Asa’s life with the end (2 Chronicles 14-16).  What a sad picture was this life that started out in faith but did not continue to trust God.  Although Asa began with reliance on God, his heart was not completely His. A pleasing faith in God is a faith that does not waver in trust in God’s provision, goodness, and sovereignty.

  • The heart of Psalm 119 is acknowledgment that God’s ways and His commandments are for our good.  Yes, we are under grace, but the boundaries that God set in His commandments were created for our benefit. Jesus said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15).

I cry out with my whole heart; Hear me, O Lord. I will keep your statutes (Psalm 119:145).

Examine the prayers of the psalmist and promises in Psalm 119 made by God to those who trust Him with their whole heart. A few of them are listed below.  God’s guidance is highlighted in yellow and man’s obedience (faith and trust) is highlighted in blue.  Obedience to God is evidence of trust in Him (James 2:14-26). On your own, finish the exercise. Practically every verse in this psalm contains a prayer for guidance or a promise from God.

Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord! (v.1)

Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart (v.2).

They also do no iniquity; they walk in His ways (v.3).

Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You (v.11).

I will meditate on Your precepts, and contemplate Your ways (v. 15).

Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law (v. 18).

My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to Your word (v. 28).

I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid before me (v. 30).

I will run the course of Your commandments, for You shall enlarge my heart (v. 32).

Teach me, O Lord, the way of Your statutes, and I shall keep it to the end (v. 33).

Give me understanding, and I shall keep Your law; indeed, I shall observe it with my whole heart (v. 34).

Establish Your word to Your servant, who is devoted to fearing You (v. 38).

And I will walk at liberty, for I seek Your precepts (v.45).

This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life (v.50).

I entreated Your favor with my whole heart; be merciful to me according to Your word (v. 58).

It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes (v. 71).

The law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of coins of gold and silver (v. 72).

Your hands have made me and fashioned me; give me understanding, that I may learn Your commandments (v. 73).

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path (v. 105).

Consider how I love Your precepts; revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness (v. 159).

Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble (v.165).

My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness (v. 172).

I long for Your salvation, O Lord, and Your law is my delight (v. 174).

Are your prayers pleasing to God? Is your heart totally devoted to Him? If not, ask Him today to help you make Psalm 119:111 a reality in your life: Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart (Psalm 119:111).

© Stephanie B. Blake

All Scripture quotations (unless noted otherwise) are from the New King James Version.

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Word Focus

The Law of Liberty

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But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does. . . . So speak and so act, as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty (James 1:25, 2:12 emphasis mine).

Webster states that law “implies imposition by a sovereign authority and the obligation of obedience on the part of all subject to that authority.”  On the other hand, liberty is seen as “the quality or state of being free:

  • The power to do as one pleases
  • Freedom from physical restraint
  • Freedom from arbitrary or despotic control
  • The positive enjoyment of various social, political or economic rights and privileges
  • The power of choice”

Although law and liberty appear to be contradictory terms, the Bible refers to “the law of liberty,” a reality that is possible because of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Observe a young child of two or three.  Some of the first words that many children learn are “mine” or “no.” Children test their boundaries, wishing to be free from restraint.  However, if they are taught by godly parents, they eventually learn that freedom is actually the ability to make right choices in life.

Using freedom to chose to act in selfish ways does not result in a happy life.  There are adults who can testify that because there were no restrictions or guidelines given to them by their parents, they chose a life of crime. Other adults credit their godly upbringing with their success in society. The law of liberty referred to in Scripture leads a person to choose to act in love, just as Jesus did.

Freedom is certainly a topic of cultures and nations.  America is known as a “free nation.”  Nations with dictators are known for oppressive rule, where people are not allowed choices or have very limited choices as to lifestyle, education, employment, religion, etc. Presented with the ability to choose freedom or dictatorship, most people would choose freedom.  Even in countries where the political climate is burdensome and unjust, Christians understand the “law of liberty.”  They choose to follow God through extremely difficult circumstances. Although oppressed, they know they have freedom in Christ.

Many believers, such as Corrie ten Boom (The Hiding Place) and Dietrich Bonhoeffer (The Cost of Discipleship), have given testimony to their joy and freedom in Christ while undergoing horrendous trial.  In his poem The Friend from Letters and Papers from Prison, Dietrich Bonhoeffer writes:

When the spirit touches mans heart and brow with thoughts that are lofty, bold, serene, so that with clear eyes he will face the world as a free man may. . . . then would that man, lonely and actively working, know of the spirit that grasps and befriends him, like waters clear and refreshing where the spirit is cleansed from the dust and cooled from the heat that oppressed him, steeling himself in the hour of fatigue – like a fortress to which, from confusion and danger, the spirit returns, wherein he finds refuge and comfort and strengthening, is a friend to a friend.

God tells us that choice is ours.  When you choose Christ, you choose freedom.  It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).  “A yoke of slavery” implies bondage, and an “obligation to keep the whole Law” (Galatians 5:3). The law of liberty involves choice: the power to choose to be in submission to Christ, His teachings and His example. He left the freedom of Heaven voluntarily for our sakes.  Along with the apostle Paul, we can choose to follow His ways:

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly (Galatians 2:20-21).

For further study and reflection, examine the following passages. You will need to do background study in order to answer the questions.

John 8:32

  • Who spoke these words?
  • What was the context – the background of this passage?
  • How does one “know the truth?”
  • How does knowing the truth set you free?

Romans 8:2

  • Who wrote these words?
  • What was his background?
  • What group of people was he addressing?
  • Describe the “law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” and “the law of sin and of death.”
  • What is the difference between the two?

Galatians 2:4-10

  • What role did misunderstanding and jealousy play in the attack described in verse 4?
  • How did the apostle respond to the “false brethren” described in verse 4?

Galatians 6:2

  • How does this verse relate to the “law of liberty?”

2 Corinthians 3:17

  • Read this entire chapter. How does verse 17 describe the “new covenant?”

© Stephanie B. Blake

Biblical references are from the New American Standard Bible.

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